December 4 '07: The airline industry should begin to share information about past medical emergencies while in the air to help companies, crew members and first responders learn how to adapt better methods of in-flight medical response, experts said during a conference in London recently, FlightGlobal.com reported. Speaking at the Royal Society of Medicine, Dr. James Ferguson, from TheFirstCall and the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary said that current practices are about 20 to 30 years-old and that airline medical equipment and medication should be updated.

Ferguson, FlightGLobal.com reported, "said most air-ground medical services are 'still working on decisions based on assumptions made 20 -30 years ago', and that the same is true of the contents of many on-board medical packs. ... [And] according to Ferguson there is no system for exchanging information on [in-flight medical emergencies] across the industry to enable equipment, training and practices to be [sic]optimised."

Ferguson's findings were based on a five-year study by the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary on in-flight medical emergencies. Though most medical situations that arise are nothing more serious than diarrhea, increased crew member training and better communication among the industry would go a long way to help with overall preparedness and safety measures.

TheFirstCall CEO Roderick MacDonald told FlightGLobal.com that a medical information-sharing system "would benefit remote services providers across many industries. The aviation and marine industries already collaborate on engines, safety and interiors development, so why not in something as crucial as healthcare?"